April 28, 2015

There are many voices inside me and yet only one of them is mine. Life seems to bring with it a collection of influences, perspectives and beliefs that end up clouding and distorting my voice. My thoughts, feelings and actions can be interpreted within me through the lens of another.

The asana practice is the best way I have found of turning down the volume of the other voices. Sometimes I imagine the outside influences as dripping out of my pores like drops of sweat and I emerge purified. Purified in the sense of being my most sincere and truest self. My voice is integrated into my being and the interferences are gently admonished to a subservient place.

Integration is defined as an act or instance of combining into a whole. In psychology, it is  the organization of the elements of the personality into a coordinated and harmonious whole. Often, we walk around fragmented as various influences (or voices) distort our inherent perfect wholeness.

As you know, yoga can be translated as to yoke or to bring together. Bill Mahoney, a yoga philosopher scholar, added that inherent in the Sanskrit word is the sense that these are disconnected parts coming into a sum that is more than the individual parts. And this is what we do in asana practice. We bring the disconnected parts into a whole that is more than these separate parts.

Integration, in asana, then can be considered as the bringing of the limbs into the center of our body. They then return to their source and from that connection a whole is established. Let’s say the arms begin at the back diaphragm. As we extend our arms to the sides and overhead, a primary action within the movement is a return of the arm bones back into the diaphragm. This accesses the rhomboids and lower trapezius muscles that help hold us upright. If we are using are arms well and they are integrated into their source (our center), we remain integrated and whole. If we move the arms and do not maintain this connection, we fragment. Our arms are limbs of action and therefore either take us out of ourselves or yoke us to our ultimate source, our centre.

I have been teaching this concept in twists, where the arms, once integrated, move the thoracic spine, access the diaphragm, change our breath and move us to our core. Once whole, opening up in backbends becomes less effortful and less fragmented. We open our heart from this place of unity. Try the sequence and see if for yourself.

Opening:

Block work: lie down over a block at the lowest level. Place the block across the shoulder blades perpendicular to the spine. (Remember that the shoulder blades are higher than you think). Hold a belt slightly wider than shoulder-distance apart. With the arms straight up in the air (perpendicular to the floor) and the palms facing your feet, draw the upper arm bones down into the shoulder sockets. Connect the shoulder sockets to the shoulder blades and feel the shoulder blades against the block. Without arching your back, maintain this integration and extend the arms overhead, possibly to the floor. Bring the arms back to the starting position and repeat several times. Maintain the integration of the arm bones into the shoulder sockets and keep the back diaphragm full and wide. Practice extension (outward movement) while maintaining access to the source of the arms at the back diaphragm.

Adho Mukha Svanasana – Dog pose. Recreate the same work here as it is the same position of the arms.

Uttanasana – Standing forward bend

Surya Namaskar – Sun Salutations

Standing poses:

(Suggestion: do the standing poses with the back foot at the wall to be able to hold the legs steady while working in the shoulder blades. Work toward 1minute hold per side.)

Trikonasana – Triangle pose. As you stretch the arms to the side, integrate the arm bones into the back diaphragm. Maintain that as you enter the pose. Then, take the head back so the shoulder blades come forward against the rib cage and feel the integration of the arms into the diaphragm.

Parsvakonasana – Side angle pose. Work as above

Parsvottanasna – Pyramid pose. Place the hands in reverse prayer pose if possible and see how that aids in the integration work of the arms.

Parivrtta Trikonasana – Revolved triangle pose. Maintain a sense of integration through the arms and the shoulder blades to the diaphragm to turn the thoracic spine. The bottom shoulder blade moves away from the spine without becoming disconnected.

Parivrtta Parsvakonsana – Revolved side angle pose. As above.

Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana – Revolved half-moon pose. Keep the back foot at the wall so that the focus can be on the arm work as above.

Padangustasana – Big toe pose (standing forward bend holding big toes)

Padahastasana – Hand to foot pose (standing on palms of hands and folding forward). Notice how the hand positions impact integration.

Adho Mukha Svanasana – Dog pose. As earlier.

Inversions:

Adho Mukha Vrksasana – Handstand. Start close to the wall (about 2-3 inches at most) and drop your head between your arms. Once up in the pose, bend the elbows slightly, integrate the shoulder blades into the back diaphragm and extend the arms maintaining that connection. Note that the shoulder blades may move but the integration stays the same.

Pincha Mayurasana – Forearm balance. Hang the head between the arms intead of looking at floor between the forearms. Move the head back and the shoulder blades forward to integrate.

Seated twists:

Marichyasana III – Sage twist. Use the arms to twist at the diaphragm.

Ardha Matsyendrasana – Sage twist. As above.

Backbends:

Bhujangasana – Cobra pose. Have the arms forward enough that they can straighten while keeping the arms integrated.

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
Urdhva Dhanurasana

Viparita Dandasana

Closing:

Gomukhasana – Cow-faced pose

Parsva and Adho Mukha Sukhasana – Cross-legged forward bend with side bend options
Savasana